Good camera work can add to the drama and excitement of a wrestling match. The above image captures all the wrestlers on screen at once with suffering Sabin on display at the very center, blocked from reaching his partner far off in the distance by a cocky-posed James Storm. Sabin looks like a man sinking in quick-sand, out of reach from rescue. We see this dramatic image and think, “Poor Sabin.”
Beer Money, the bigger guys in white trunks shown above, are a Tag Team on Impact Wrestling (formerly TNA). They’ve had a long feud and numerous matches (including an intense “Best of Five” series) against the two men wearing black pants — the Motor City Machine Guns (or MCMG for short). Beer Money’s bright white trunks and massive bodies are meant to convey a sense of arrogance — a “We Are Better” vibe.
The Motor City Machine Guns are small for wrestlers with a fun, athletic, jocular vibe. They’re irreverent and handsome (which amuses their fans), and the are willing to put their small bodies on the line and suffer injury (which excites their fans). Their pants are printed with the X-ray images of their leg bones, broken, which highlights and advertises their pain.
The above close-up of a defeated and spent Chris Sabin, his lips parted as he runs his fingers through his tousled wavy hair is also meant to evoke a “Poor Sabin” reaction.
The “Beer Money” tag team — James Storm and Robert Roode — enjoy drinking beer (so they’re fun loving dudes) but they also crave money (so they’re greedy) and will beat you up to acquire both. The contrast between the teams is that the MCMG are depicted as self-sacrificing (i.e., displaying where their legs have been broken on their wrestling pants), while Beer Money have addictions to beer (gluttony) and money (greed). They also double-team the smaller opponents like bullies.
Notice how MCMG use cute first names that could be male or female: “Alex” and “Chris”, whereas Beer Money uses formal versions of their names: “James” and “Robert”. These names give MCMG a friendly vibe and make Beer Money seem formal, prickish, and arrogant — good attributes for a heel tag team.
The camera angles highlight the fact that Beer Money has “cut the ring in half”. We see both bullies on screen at once (out-numbering the opponent.) We are treated to images of Beer Money smothering the smaller guy, pinning him down with beer belly or thick chest. In this image, we see Storm framed in the background watching the action and eager to get in and punish Alex Shelley.
To fan the flames between these feuding teams and further underscore their differences, the MCMG recorded a video that makes fun of Beer Money and the negative effects of drinking. It shows us the humorous, sarcastic (yet healthy) side of MCMG (which makes the fans fall in love with them), and mocks the greedy drunks of Beer Money.
Dramatic wide-angle shots depict Alex Shelly reaching for a tag but thwarted by the bad bullies. The camera offers us a peek at Sabin, still suffering from his earlier punishment, and Shelly crawling like a whipped dog, one arm trapped between the bigger man’s knees. Not every pro wrestling camera-man provides us with heart-wrenching, dramatic images like this!
In the end, the MCMG get it together and rally in the closing moments of the match. They knock down Robert Roode, then destroy James Storm with cool double-team move where Shelly flies off the ropes and splashes down on the restrained opponent to crush him. This action is filmed from above looking down, a beautiful camera angle we rarely ever see, which exaggerates the height and danger of the move. Very nice! They easily pin the beer drinker in the white speedo and MCMG are your winners.
